Loving Luna
by badwoolfbay
Summary: Harry notices Luna, and sets out to date her.


"You're just as sane as I am."

The phrase lingered in his mind as he watched Luna feed the winged beasts.

Barefoot, seeing invisible creatures. Hair tumbling down her back in a careless swing. Her endorsement might not have been as potent except that she really saw the Thestrals, and she knew what he was talking about, and she stood with him.

It meant everything to him.

So he let her friendship wash over him like a gentle wave, and appreciated that for once someone was unquestionably on his side, no hesitation.

"Luna," he said, "Let me walk you back to your dorm." He had an urge to make sure she got there alright, unbullied. No one would say a word against Luna when Harry was around, he decided. And that included calling her Loony.

He understood what it was to be bullied. He understood the loss of losing a parent. He understood seeing things that others didn't. He understood Luna.

Well. As much as anyone could.

"That would be lovely Harry, thank you," she agreed, and they walked to the castle together. And when the path was grassy it was good. And when the path was mud, he carried her.

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"It's probably full of Nargles," Luna said of the mistletoe above them.

Harry stared up. "I don't see any," he said. It was the last meeting of the DA before Christmas holidays, and he found himself under the mistletoe with Luna Lovegood. His first instinct had been to jump back, to not kiss his friend - but then he thought how that would look, maybe further ostracizing her, certainly making her feel unwanted - and had decided on impulse to just go with it. Because when he really thought about it, he couldn't find a reason not to.

"You don't mind, do you?" Harry asked lightly, gesturing up towards the mistletoe with a little smile.

"If you kiss me?" Luna asked, surprised. "I suppose I wouldn't."

With her permission, Harry leaned in and kissed her. It was supposed to be a peck, maybe a warm kiss between friends. But what happened next was unexpected for both of them.

She made a noise. A quiet, private noise, like a sigh in the dark. And she relaxed a little under his touch, and he just... went for it. He was compelled. And soon they were sharing a rather intimate kiss under the mistletoe which involved curious lips and cautious tongues.

When they parted Harry was a bit dazed. Luna looked the same as ever.

"Oh, that was very nice," she said dreamily. "Happy Christmas, Harry." And she flitted away.

"Oh," was all Harry could say. A few whistles and catcalls came his way from stragglers who had witnessed the kiss, but Harry did his best to ignore them and ducked his head, packing up.

The next thing he knew, the room was empty but for himself and Cho. And she was looking so sad, and she was under the mistletoe, and - -

Immediately Harry knew it was wrong. Not just from the way she was crying, but from the feeling in his chest when they kissed. Had it been his first he might not have known or recognized it, but he had just kissed Luna earlier that evening and the two experiences were not remotely similar. Luna left a fire in his chest. Cho... well, it was like the hearth the morning after the fire was out. He knew then that nothing would happen between them, felt his feelings for her ebb.

"Listen, Cho. I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't think this is going to work."

"Why not?" Cho asked, sniffling.

"Er - you're upset," he said, reaching for something other than we have no chemistry. He didn't want to go down that road with her. "And I've had my own struggles with Cedric's death. I can't live there. I need to move on. I have a bigger job to do, and I think you might need to talk to someone other than me about it."

She nodded quietly, and turned to slip out the door with a tiny sob. When he was alone he wished doing the right thing would feel easy once and a while.

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The Christmas break passed too quickly once Arthur was declared well enough to leave St. Mungo's. Sirius' mood aside, Harry hadn't wanted to go back to that Umbridge woman, hadn't wanted to start Occlumency with Snape, and certainly hadn't wanted to worry about Valentine's Day at Hogsmeade.

But somehow he found himself backed into a date with Cho, even though he had last told her no. It was a weakness, a fatal flaw of Harry's that he knew about but seemed powerless to prevent - he just couldn't say no to women when he felt uncomfortable. If they pushed hard enough he just went along with it. His only solace was the fact that he was right since his date with Cho ended as a disaster.

He dashed to the Three Broomsticks more than a little annoyed by it all, pulling up short when he saw the odd trio of women waiting for him. Hermione Granger, Rita Skeeter, and Luna Lovegood.

"Hullo Luna," he said automatically. "Er, Hermione, what's happening here?"

As Hermione explained the plan Harry kept sneaking glances at Luna. She seemed contented to just sit there and take it all in, and Harry couldn't help but think that he would have had a lot more fun with Luna in Hogsmeade instead. He had taken to thinking of her every night now before he fell asleep - he replayed their kiss in his mind, and had daydreams of taking it further that usually resulted in a scourgify and a good nights sleep.

When the interview was done Harry was feeling moody and a bit short with Hermione, who hadn't even prepared him for this but dropped it in his lap. He supposed she needn't have considered how painful it would be for him to go over it again, with follow up questions, because she wasn't kept up at night with the memories. For her part she did try to comfort him but he didn't really want it from her.

"I'm just going to walk for a bit. Clear my head."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Luna asked. Hermione looked a bit shocked - Harry had obviously wanted to be alone, but Luna simply missed or ignored all of the cues.

"Luna... I'd like nothing more," he told her, which completely floored Hermione, and Luna hurried to join him.

They walked a ways in silence, out to the Shrieking Shack where Harry remembered being so upset about Sirius' betrayal of his parents. If only he'd known. Now, a year later, all he wanted was to be around Sirius.

"That must have been hard," Luna said. "Telling all of that to Rita Skeeter."

"I'd rather have eaten slugs," he said glumly, kicking at a rock half buried in the snow.

"It was brave though," Luna said. "You're taking control of your own fate this way. Cutting through the lies with your own voice."

"I guess. I just wish I didn't have to. I wish I was... normal, I guess."

"You're talking to the wrong girl about normal," Luna said ironically.

"You're not that bad."

"That's not what the rest of the school says."

"Well, they don't know what they're talking about," Harry said, moving a bit closer to Luna. "Besides, I like you the way you are."

"Do you?" Her eyes were liquid silver, and entranced him. He'd never seen eyes like that before.

"I do. I - Luna, I keep thinking about our kiss under the mistletoe. I keep thinking how I'd like to do that again."

"Mistletoe is a once a year thing," Luna said in her ever dreamy tone — though Harry hoped he heard a note of regret in her voice. And with that she turned away and walked calmly up the path, leaving a messy haired boy to watch after her and wonder.

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It was the hospital wing. Everyone was knocked out or asleep, and Harry woke in confusion. He bolted upright out of sleep, reaching out, trying to help...

"Sirius," he said. He was screaming it in his dream, but found his voice a broken whisper in the dark. And then he remembered that Sirius had gone through the veil, was lost to him forever. And, well...

He broke down. Heavy, wracking sobs overtook his whole body. His heart felt empty and wrung out.

Someone gathered him in a light embrace -- someone small, who smelled like rain. He didn't open his eyes, just leaned into her, letting himself go just this once.

"It's okay," a soothing voice murmured in his ear.

"It's not," Harry said, gasping for breath. "It's not okay!"

"No." She squeezed him tightly. "It's not. But it will be."

Luna held him into the night, until he cried himself to sleep in her arms. She rubbed his back, held him tightly, and wiped at his tears. She couldn't offer consolation because there was none. But she offered her comfort, and he grasped at it, clinging to the one person he felt he could trust to break down with. And when he finally slipped back into sleep Luna pressed her lips to his forehead and cried her own tears for him.

They didn't speak about it the next day. She was gone when he woke up, had only really been there for observation according to Madame Pomfrey. She had managed the least damage of the lot the night before, discounting Harry. He had to admit that he was impressed -- though he had a hint of pride thinking the DA lessons had helped, Harry figured she had a lot of talent and quick fighting instincts by her own right to make it out virtually unscathed. And he considered Luna Lovegood, the girl who was full of surprises, and he wondered how to make her see him someone she wanted to date.

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He didn't see her much the start of sixth year. He had the train ride in with her and Neville, though they were interrupted by Slughorn's tea invitation. It was almost a relief when Christmas rolled around and he'd needed to ask someone to Slughorn's party - he hadn't really had the occasion to spend time with her all year, and it was a great excuse. Besides, he told himself as he checked his appearance in the mirror, it was Christmas. Mistletoe was a once a year thing.

"Slughorn's party? With you?"

"Yeah." He explained he was supposed to take a guest and, remembering how literal she could be, added, "I mean, as my date. I'll pick you up at the Great Hall, we go to the party together, hopefully we have a good time. And I, er, walk you to your tower I guess."

"I'd love to. No ones ever asked me on a date before."

"Ever? Well... it'll be special then, won't it?"

"I guess so," she agreed. "Well then. Saturday?"

"Saturday. Seven o'clock." And they parted as they usually did. Luna, practically floating away. Harry, staring wistfully after her.

He'd truly enjoyed her company the whole way through the party. She was funny, really, and it was fun watching people decide what to do with her when they talked to her. She was dressed for fun, not necessarily for formal. She danced, and chatted, and giggled with Ginny. She spent a lot of time with Ginny actually, for someone on a date, but the redhead had looked down in the dumps despite Dean being in attendance. The good news was that it made for an easy getaway when he wanted to follow Malfoy, though he hurried back as soon as he could.

"Can I have this dance?" Harry asked. He was a little stirred up over the conversation he'd overheard between Snape and Malfoy, but he figured he oughtn't neglect her fully. It was bad enough he'd ducked out, though he felt he had to. He wanted her to have a good time with him.

"Where were you?" Luna asked, curious. "Up to anything fun?"

"Er, not really. I had to step out for a second."

"Oh. I'm not a bad date, am I?" Luna asked in a rare display of uncertainty.

"No! No, I am, I'm afraid." So he gave Luna the rundown on everything he suspected about Draco Malfoy and his Death Eater status, including what he'd heard that night. In an unexpected turn, Luna believed him. He was so used to everyone shaking their head at his theory that he was a bit shocked.

"No one else thinks that I'm right," he confessed.

"You haven't led me astray yet," she said simply. "Besides, it does seem awfully fishy, and I wonder -"

But Harry never heard what she wondered, because he at that moment enthusiastically pressed a kiss to her lips. He got one glimpse of her smile after, which lifted his heart higher than it had ever been, when he heard a smashing sound from their left. He looked over quickly, grabbing for his wand in his robes. It was probably Neville dropping a glass or something, but with Voldemort returned he couldn't be too cautious.

Instead what he saw was Ginny Weasley, red faced and furious. Dean Thomas stood in front of her, just as mad.

"What is wrong with you?" Dean demanded angrily. "I can't do anything right lately!"

"Then why don't you just leave?" Ginny said, her voice much higher in her upset than Harry had ever heard it.

"I will," Dean said, "And I'll tell you one thing, Harry Potter is already taken, but when you decide that poor little Dean Thomas is good enough for her majesty, I might not be around anymore." And with that he turned and left, and Ginny stood there red faced, desperately attempting to repair the glass she had smashed but unable to get the words out.

"Reparo," Harry muttered, and the glass reformed itself. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the party herself, and Harry looked helplessly at Luna.

"Er - should I do anything?" Harry asked.

"I rather think you're the cause."

"But I never - I mean I - "

Luna placed a calming hand on his chest. "It's not your fault," she assured. "It's just that Ginny has always had a crush on you. I think her relationship with Dean hasn't been going very well, and you and I going on a date set them off."

"Oh." He felt a little useless. He couldn't do anything for her with this information.

"I expect it'll just take time. Did you want to leave?"

Harry looked at her, confused. "Why?"

"Because you hate attention, and everyone is staring at us."

"Oh. You know what, yeah. Let's get out of here." And he led her by the hand to tickle pears, and into the kitchens.

"Dobby is so pleased to see Harry Potter!" The house elf was beaming, so proud that Harry was visiting.

"It's good to see you too Dobby," Harry said. "Listen, I'm on a date with Luna here, and I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind, Er -"

"Food?" Dobby asked.

"If you've got any to spare."

In no time at all they were set up with more food than two people could possibly eat, and they were gleefully sampling it all. They talked about their classes, their class mates, and the things they were learning. They were having tea and pudding by the time they got around to anything substantive, but Harry couldn't help himself. Conversation with Luna was so incredibly easy, and could be so light. But she at the same time had a knack for sensing his emotions and moods, which made him awfully glad that Voldemort had, it seemed, quit poking around in his head.

They talked about Sirius, which meant everything to Harry. She let him share everything he had hoped for, everything he had lost, and he didn't hold back because he knew she wouldn't find it stupid. She would in her patient way find understanding in his words, feel with him instead of for him. What would make him feel incredibly uncomfortable talking about with anyone else came naturally when he was with her. In return she told him about her mother, the struggles of growing up as a woman without that role model, the pressure to take care of her father. How she loved the Quibbler but very much wanted to travel the world and study magical animals, and her father wanted her to run the magazine.

"Luna," he said gently. They were by the fire now, biscuits and curfew both long forgotten. "Do you think this date went well?"

"I don't know," she answered airily. "I'm certainly having a good time. But it's not ended yet so I can't say."

"Er - then could I ask - that is - "

"Yes, Harry?"

"Would you possibly maybe consider being my girlfriend?" Harry asked in a rush, feeling very foolish all of a sudden. "I just don't want to date anyone else, and I certainly don't want you do date anyone else, and I - I - " He paused and took a deep, steadying breath, something Sirius had once told him to help him remain calm. Of course he meant for his temper at the time, not for nerves, but it still helped. "I really like you, Luna," he said with new conviction. "I'd really like it if we dated. Exclusively."

For a long second Luna said nothing, and Harry's stomach clenched with nerves. For once in her life Luna was speechless, and Harry was rather put out by it - her answer meant everything to him.

"Oh," she said. He thought he might die. "Well, I'd love that of course. It's just... Ginny..."

"But I don't want to date Ginny," he said incredulously. He didn't see how she factored in at all. "I want to date you, Luna."

"And I'd love to date you as well. But Ginny has been my best friend since we were small, and I didn't think it would matter to her if we went to a party together seeing as she's dating Dean. But, well, it appeared to matter a great deal to her."

"I guess." He didn't really understand, not the way she wanted him to.

"Its girl code," she explained, as if it told him everything. "I have to talk to Ginny first. Timing is everything with these things."

It wasn't a no. It wasn't a yes, of course, but at least he knew that Luna wanted to be with him. He didn't feel hopeless - but then, he had felt better.

"Okay," he said uncertainly. He wasn't sure where to go from there. "Er, perhaps I should walk you back to your dorm?" Professor Slughorn had given the school aged witches and wizards at his party permission notes to be out of bed past curfew, but it was truly late now and the house elves were shutting everything down.

They walked back to the Ravenclaw dorms, and Harry was thrilled to have Luna take his hand. He walked a bit slower than necessary, but he found they reached the dorm all too quickly anyway.

"Well. I guess this is good night then."

"Yes. Good night Harry."

Neither of them moved.

"Luna?"

"Yes?"

"Would you say that until you go upstairs, regardless of Ginny, we're still on our date?"

"I would say so," she decided. Her mystic silver eyes were fixed on him. He found them hypnotic.

"Then would it be alright if I kissed you goodnight?"

She flushed a little, and Harry thought that it was something he rarely saw her do. Probably because she didn't get embarrassed at trivial things like most people, and had a solid sense of self. But when she did colour her cheeks bloomed like a rose.

"Yes," she said quite simply, and Harry grinned at her. He moved in, closing the distance between them with a fluidity that surprised him. He'd never call himself adept with girls, and yet he was quickly becoming an expert in Luna. Perhaps it was because she made him feel comfortable, confident. Maybe it was the familiarity they had built up, or how badly he wanted to kiss her. It could have been just knowing unquestioningly that she welcomed him and his kiss. Whatever it was, it made it easy to lean in and find her mouth with his.

It thrilled him every time, lit something warm and urgent within him. She leaned her body into his, and he felt himself respond in kind. Pressed against each other, wrapped in each other's embrace, he rejoiced in her. When they did finally part after several long moments of quiet tenderness he felt an ache in his loss of her. He suddenly understood why men fought wars over women, because he'd have faced an army for her.

"Good night, Harry," she told him in a note above a whisper.

"Good night, Luna." And he forced himself to walk away and let her go inside. He forced himself not to turn around and watch her walk into her dorm. Forced himself not to run after her. He knew she wouldn't come to him until she was ready.

It was the end of February when she found him. It was as he was leaving dinner, the Great Hall emptying for the evening. She clutched at his arm. Her eyes were red rimmed, the ghost of tears shed.

"Harry," she said in a broken voice. But she couldn't say anything more.

"Shhh," he soothed, drawing her closer to him. "Let's go somewhere." She very clearly needed him, needed comfort, and he would have done anything to help her then.

He led her away from the crowds of onlookers, the whisperers. He thought about taking her outside the castle but the sky was already black and the wind was whipping ferociously that night. He led her instead to the room of requirement, concentrated on a safe space to speak to Luna, and entered the door with her when it appeared.

It was quiet, and calming. Green, leafy walls and brown leather furniture, and a living wall of flowers peeking out amongst the greenery. Moon flowers, Harry recognized, and thought it might have been him concentrating on the word Luna, or it could be her addition. Either way he enjoyed the effect. He called Dobby, asked for some tea, and took his time setting it up for them along with the biscuits he had brought. He was in uncharted territory here, but he did hope that she would start telling him what was bothering her in her own time.

"I spoke with Ginny," Luna confessed when they had sat in silence for a while. "It was... awful."

She told him how Ginny had avoided her for weeks, which Harry now knew to be the reason why it had taken so long for her to meet him. At Christmas break they usually saw each other, but not this year. This year he had been at the Burrow for Christmas and hadn't seen any trace of Luna. Just Ginny, who always seemed to be present. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, she lived there after all, but now he did find it odd how often she was at hand whenever Harry turned around.

Ginny had gone so far to turn Luna away at the door, stating that she and Harry were awfully busy and hadn't much time to chat. Harry felt a familiar beastly temper rise in him that she would imply they were together.

Ginny had started making Luna's life at school difficult, alternating between making fun of her and ignoring her, and Luna had never felt more alone. Perhaps because Ginny was much more popular than Luna other students followed suit, and January had been a hellish month. Finally though, she had managed to be alone with Ginny. Detention for an ill timed prank on Ginny's part - she had meant to shower Luna with ink, but had got Professor Snape instead. Luna was nearby, the target, so he had assumed she was in on it. They had been made to clean all sorts of nasty and vile ingredients from jars after they had gone stale. The manual work took them into the night.

"Harry asked me out while you were dating Dean," Luna said flatly. "I'm not sure what I should have done differently."

"You kissed him last year," Ginny had responded abruptly. "You could have... not."

"You were dating someone else then, too," Luna had pointed out. "How long do you get to claim Harry should be with no one but you? It's awfully unfair:"

"I don't care. He can date whoever he wants. But a true friend would have been hands off."

"That's not right. I'm allowed to live my life too. And if he wants to be with me, you don't get to be angry at me for that."

"Oh really?" They scrubbed in silence a while. "You're just doing it to seem normal but you're hurting people."

"I'm not - he likes me even though I'm abnormal. That's why I liked him at first. And I didn't - he asked me last Valentines if we could date, but I shrugged him off because of you. Then you dated Dean all summer, and fall, and winter, and am I to wait until you're married to date him? Or would that be too soon?"

Ginny wiped at the tears that fell. "Yes," she whispered darkly. "Dating him is a betrayal to me, at any stage. I love him."

"But you don't own him. I don't mean to be unkind, but he asked me again after Slughorn's Christmas party and I told him I needed to talk to you first as you'd liked him for so long."

"And what did he say?" Her voice was tense. She already knew it wasn't what she wanted.

"That he didn't want to date you, but he wanted to date me. I told him girl code prevailed."

"Then be with him. But you'll never have my blessing, and if he comes to me I won't stop him. You've done me no such courtesy. You're dead to me, Luna."

And they scrubbed in silence for the rest of the evening. The next day Luna found her dorm pristine, except for the contents of her own trunk, which were tossed about. The pranks got mean after that, but Luna had intended to wait Ginny out — until she'd actually swapped Luna's ingredients in Potions and almost blew her up.

"A-and no one talks to me, and I'm s-s-so tired of it."

"I'm sorry Luna," Harry said, distressed for her. "This is all my fault." He pulled her in and held her.

"No," she said, muffled against his shoulder. "It's not your fault." She pulled back a little and wiped at her eyes. "It's Ginny. Sh-she's the one that can't handle her jealousy. I j-just wish she would leave me alone."

"I'll talk to her." His chest felt tight watching her cry, and he could feel a white hot anger towards Ginny for doing this.

"No! That'll only make it worse. I just wanted to vent. I'm sure it'll get better."

"But she's being ridiculous. Let me do something. Anything."

"The best thing you can do is nothing," Luna said firmly. "I just wanted to let you know that I made a decision. If she's decided that she's going to do this whether I'm with you or not, I'm not going to consider her anymore. I'm going to find my own happiness, which means dating you. If..." She trailed off, suddenly uncertain. "If you still want me."

Harry's heart leapt. "Of course I do," he said quickly, wanting to assure her. "Actually, why don't I take you on a date Saturday? I'll try to make it special."

"It will be special," she corrected with a smile, "Because we'll be together."

They took advantage of the privacy that the Room of Requirement afforded them and kissed on couch that the room had provided them, the scent of moonflowers perfuming the air around them.

He walked her to class after that whenever he could. He walked her to and from dinner, too, or whenever she went to the library, and back to her tower at night. Whenever possible he was there so that no one could tease her or prank her. Luna didn't mind, and often Hermione and Ron came along too. They tried not to be overly touchy in front of others and PDA was rare since he hated the attention and she didn't want Ginny to see, so his friends didn't mind Luna joining them. They did, however, know that they should also give them some alone time, which had the added bonus of Hermione and Ron spending time alone together and not fighting.

Maybe because Harry, Quidditch captain, Tri-Wizard Champion, The Boy Who Lived, was much more popular than Ginny, but people seemed to lay off when word got around that they were dating, and instead people whispered about how petty Ginny was being. She seemed to lay low too, but wouldn't miss an opportunity for sarcasm or barbs in class.

Their first date the Saturday after she agreed to be with him was cloudless, but chilly. It was the first weekend of March and the castle seemed to be embracing an early thaw, unusual for this part of Scotland but definitely appreciated. The pathways around the castle were muddy but he wanted desperately to get out of the castle and have fun with Luna so he met her outside her tower with broom in hand. They walked down to the Great Hall hand in hand, still a bit giddy over the newness of their own relationship.

She walked taller now, he thought, than she had two weeks ago. She was definitely more confident and self assured when she was with him and it was good to see. He mounted his broom and invited her on with him, which she accepted unfazed. He'd never seen her fly except on Thestral when she'd been a natural, but she jumped on with him quickly. He made her sit in front of him so he could hold onto her since he didn't know how she was on a broom, and he put his arms around her and his hands on the handle.

"Are you going to go terribly fast?" She asked, betraying a hint of fear.

"No," he assured. "Don't worry, I've got you." She leaned back into him just a little and he took that as his queue to go so he kicked off.

They did lazy circles around the castle, watched the ice skaters get one last go around the pond before it melted, and swooped over the Forbidden Forest. The branches were bare and they were able to see a herd of unicorn — he flew as close as they dared and followed them as they made their way through the forest so she could see them up close.

He touched down again near Hagrid's hut. Harry stashed his broom against the side of his house where he'd been told it was okay before taking Luna's hand again and walked with her across the grounds.

"That was fun," Luna said, a little breathless with exhilaration.

"I love it. It's the one thing that I can do that picks me up no matter how I'm feeling. I can blank out and just fly." She squeezed his hand at that. Neither of them had to voice it — they both knew the pressures he was under, the nightmares that plagued him. "Do you have something that helps you like that?"

She considered it. "I suppose when I'm with animals and creatures I feel the most at peace," she told him. "I feel like they can read my heart just by being near."

They walked around Hagrid's to the paddock and stables where he was waiting for them. They gotten Hagrid's permission to have a bit of a riding lesson, which included a tutorial on how to dress the horses with their blankets and saddles and things, and a quick ride around the paddock to make sure they knew how to control them. Luna was, of course, a natural, but Harry got along well with them too. Hagrid taught them how to whistle to summon them in case they wandered off and let them go on their way.

"They know their way 'ome," he told the couple, all too pleased to assist them in their first date. "If you get turned around just tell 'em to go home an' they'll come righ' back, they will."

Harry thanked Hagrid and hitched up the basket he'd left there to his own horse, allowing Luna to lead the way. They rode around the grounds and poked their way around various trails and pathways that were unknown to them, looking for a good spot to settle for a picnic but in no rush. The sun was shining and the temperature was up, the snow was melting quickly around them. They went for high ground, because the lower ground would be full of winter melt, and the horses happily took them to an elm tree on a hill near where Harry had faced a dragon during the first Triwizard task. The branches were bare and skeletal and seemingly endless, could scrape against the cloudless sky. Harry used a bit of magic against a blanket that was rolled up and stored with Luna's horse to charm it to be dry and warm before spreading it on the ground and unpacking their picnic.

He'd swapped his usual pumpkin juice for apple cider, and had begged sandwiches and treats off of Dobby, who gave him much more than the two of them could ever eat in one sitting. They chatted and frittered away the afternoon together under the elm, Harry considering every time he made Luna laugh a personal victory. She'd done something with her hair he realized, studying her. It seemed straighter, longer. She was wearing light makeup that highlighted her eyes.

"You look lovely today, Luna," he told her, and she flushed a little.

"Do I? I don't usually... well, I'm trying some new things." She twisted her fingers in her hair a bit self consciously.

"You look lovely," he repeated, placing a hand over hers to calm her fidgeting and her nerves. He leaned in then, because he could, and kissed her lightly. Well, meant to. But she made that sigh again, and his heart twisted, and he deepened it quickly. Luna clutched at him and leaned into it, and before long she was on her back on the navy and gray checkered blanket, blonde hair everywhere, Harry Potter on top of her.

His hand moved to her hip, squeezing it lightly before drifting down to her rear. He was a bit hesitant at this, not sure how far he should push, not sure how far she wanted him to go, so he broke here. "Is this okay?" Harry asked her, his voice low and rough with his own desire. "I can stop if —"

"It's good," she said quickly, interrupting him and leaning up to reclaim his lips. With all objections settled Harry more confidently explored her, making his way up her shirt. He discovered that she wasn't wearing a bra, his hand full of her breast. He moaned, and when he massaged her lightly here she did too.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured to her between kisses. "You're so lovely." His hormones were taking over now, his hand drifting under her skirt and finding her knickers. He realized with a delightful shock that the slippery material was damp. He'd done that, he thought, feeling ten feet tall.

"Maybe we should stop," Luna said a bit breathlessly.

"Oh. Er, yeah, of course." With great difficulty he removed his hand and straightened her skirt as best he could. His body was humming with pleasure and possibility but he did his best not to seem disappointed.

"I'm just not ready to go that far yet," she explained, and he assured her he was fine with that. There was the matter of what his body was doing though... he definitely wasn't going to be able to ride a horse any time soon. She glanced down at him and saw his problem, thought about how kind he'd been when she'd asked him to stop. Felt her own blood thrumming in her veins. And she gently laid him down instead.

"Er, what are you doing?" His heart beat faster.

"We can try something else," she said, fumbling a little with his belt before unlatching it. She unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. She considered him for a second, eyeing the task ahead of her, and swallowing her nerves. "I've never done this before," she confessed, because it felt better to talk about it than not.

"You don't have to now," he told her quietly, "If you don't want to. I don't want you to think you have to do things like this to keep me happy. We can go at our own pace."

"I want to," she admitted, and Harry felt himself ache at her confession. "I'm just nervous I'll be bad at it or you won't like it. You'll tell me won't you, if I should do something different?"

"Er, Luna. I've never done this either so don't worry. We'll... we'll do this together, yeah?"

"Yeah," Luna agreed, looking a bit relieved at this. She slid his jeans and pants down with a quiet determination.

When her mouth found his member Harry lost the ability to think straight. He groaned, never having felt this sort of elation in his life. She was tentative at first but his obvious pleasure was spurring her on, and she went from tentative licking and sucking to enthusiastically bobbing her head up and down. His hands wound through her hair. She was wet and warm and her tongue was exploring him, she was testing how far she could take him in her mouth. All the way, they found out, and Harry was lifting his hips to meet her when he gasped.

"I'mgoingtocome," he blurted in one long word. He felt like he was on fire, like he was burning up with his need, but he figured he ought to give her a chance to bail, but she kept sucking and bobbing and Harry lost himself with a much appreciated release. He let go of her hair, bringing his hands to his own messy head. "Luna. Oh, god. Luna."

"That was okay?" She asked, straightening her blouse and shaking her hair out. He'd tangled it a little.

"Okay?" Harry grabbed her, brought her down on the ground with him again. Their noses touched. "Luna. That was bloody brilliant."

A smile bloomed on her face, like the sun breaking through the clouds. He spent another twenty minutes with her on the blanket, kissing sweetly. They packed up after the horses started to look bored, pawing at the ground with their hooves at the nearby tree where they'd been tied. Harry helped her onto her horse after packing up because she was sitting side saddle. She weighed so little. But she mattered so much.

They slowly made their way back to the paddock where Hagrid helped them unpack their horses and handed them brushes. Luna hummed gently to herself and the horses while she brushed hers, standing in the bright sun, time to time giving the horse a gentle word. She smiled at him over her shoulder when she heard his horse wicker softly. His heart swelled, and he thought why not tell her now, the second he felt it, than maybe never get the opportunity?

"I love you," he said.

She dropped her brush. "What?"

"I love you," he said again, moving closer. "I've been thinking about you since the beginning of last year pretty much nonstop. And now I'm finally with you and I don't want to pretend I'm not absolutely head over heels in love with you."

"You mean it?" A lifetime of teasing and let downs crept into her tone.

"Luna. I love you."

She leapt at him, a blur of blonde hair and laughter jumping into his arms. He caught her easily, and somewhere between the kisses he heard an emphatic "I love you too," and he knew that he would do anything to keep her happy, to protect her, to be with her forever.

They moved quickly together. It was something that Harry hadn't expected and, he thought, neither did Luna. But around a month after their date under the elm tree they found themselves in the Room of Requirement, where they often went to be alone, except at some point they stopped finding couches for them and started finding a large, plush bed. Harry was sure it started with Luna activating the room. He'd been emboldened by this, and every time they got together they went further and further. He went to bed at night thinking of her soft curves, and he woke up each morning thinking about when he'd get to see her again.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, as he did at every stage of their intimacy.

She answered by letting her skirt drop to the floor. She'd already been topless, braless, from their intense snogging session just prior. "I'm ready," she'd told him, sending a shiver of anticipation down Harry's spine.

He laid her gently on the bed, reverently. He kissed her all the way down from her lips to her hips, Luna lifting her body to meet him. He dipped lower, tasting her. He brought her further and further until she broke, her breathy, gasping moans rising in pitch and urgency until she was undone.

Harry kissed his way back up to her mouth, fully immersed in her and her sensations. "Tell me what you feel," he asked, a whispered plea.

"My body is singing," she whispered back. "I want more."

This time he didn't ask if she was certain, didn't worry about overstepping. Their hearts were beating together. He knew she wanted it as badly as he did, and when he entered her they both felt the connection deepen. They were both a little empty, but together they made a whole, were strong at all the broken places. Their losses didn't hurt them as much when they were together. Harry vowed to always be her strength the way she was his, whispered promises to her in the after glow, quietly told her what was in his heart and accepted all that was in hers.

Then the Death Eaters came.

Then Dumbledore died.

"I have to go," he told her the funeral. "I have to end this, before others get hurt."

"I know," Luna said, her eyes filling. "I know you do."

"Will... will you wait for me?" He asked her, nervous. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"You'll be back when it's time to be back," she said simply. "And I'll be there when you do."

He spent as much of the summer with her as he could knowing he would be gone after the wedding. Every second he could spare he was with her, or she came over to the Burrow. They didn't have much time alone together but it didn't matter because they just needed to be near one another. Besides, they'd found a spot halfway between the Rookery and the Burrow, and Harry had learned which stairs were squeaky and worn by habit — they met every night when their households had settled. Only Mr. Weasley had caught him sneaking back in one morning before dawn once.

"Were you with Luna?" He asked knowingly.

Harry nodded, caught out.

"You're being safe?" He asked.

Harry nodded. Luna had been taking a potion.

"Don't let Molly catch you," he said, jerking his head toward the stairs to send Harry up. "And Harry..."

He paused three stairs up, heard Mr. Weasley's sigh.

"Hold onto her love when you go. It'll help."

Harry didn't answer, crept the rest of the way up the stairs. Because he didn't want to admit that he was leaving, didn't want to push his surrogate father into admitting Harry was doing right by dropping out, and he certainly didn't want to find out what happened when he focused on the ache in his chest he got whenever he thought about leaving her with someone who would have understood.

Because he had to go. Because he couldn't stand that he had to go.

When the Ministry fell and Luna pushed him toward Hermione to apparate him out of the wedding he knew he couldn't go back for her. Her last heartbroken look haunted him.

When he watched her footsteps on the map each night pacing in her dorm he knew she was thinking about him.

When he looked at the photo Luna had given him in happier times, smiling sweetly, coy. XO Luna she had written on the back, and it pained him that this was the closest he could get to her.

And in December when her footsteps disappeared and never showed up again he had to believe she was in hiding. When the Snatchers grabbed him and his adrenaline was running and all he could think about was how to save Hermione he was shocked to find her in the cellar.

"Luna!" He rushed to her, let her undo his bindings with her rusty nail. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine," she assured, oddly calm in the way only Luna could be in this situation. "We have to get Hermione away."

"I'm trying. I don't know what —"

"We need help from outside," she said simply. And Harry suddenly thought of Dumbledore's eye watching over him, pulled the mirror from his sock, shouted into it for help. He didn't have time to wonder where Dobby came from, could only focus on getting Luna and the others out safely.

And when he saw her next she helped him bury their friend, the one who had been so good to them. He focused on the Horcruxes, he focused on the plan. He focused on Hermione. And when the night came he took Luna to the sea and they focused on each other.

"Luna." He wanted to sob in her arms but was out of tears. "I've been so worried about you. I watched you on the map. I hoped you went into hiding."

"They took me on the train at Christmas," she told him. "Going back to school. They run it, the Death Eaters."

"I know," he said, feeling a bile in his throat. His school. His home. "I went to your house. I needed to see your dad, and when you weren't there but he was I knew something was wrong."

"Is he okay?"

"I wish I knew," he said ruefully. "We barely got out alive. Hermione did what she could to protect him. I should have came and got you the day you broke the Trace."

"It wouldn't have worked," she said. "Harry. Are you okay?"

"No," he said. "But being with you makes it better. I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm here," she said, "And I'll be here always."

He grabbed her, kissed her desperately. It was dark now, the sea crashing next to them, the sound of it giving them privacy to talk before now surrounding them.

"Please, Harry."

He didn't have to ask what she wanted from him. The closeness, the togetherness. He conjured a blanket with his stolen wand, took her quickly and hard on the beach. She gripped him desperately, nails digging in his back and a sobbing orgasm escaping her lips.

He'd do anything for her, and he told her so after he'd had his own shuddering orgasm inside of her, and she pulled her jeans back up and clung to him. He built a fire and they shared the blanket.

"I have more to do," he told her. "I'm breaking into Gringott's."

"Oh. Then what?"

"I'm not sure. But Luna, home isn't safe. You should stay here."

She nodded, knowing he was right but not liking it. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked again, softer. "Did they hurt you at Malfoy Manor?"

She shook her head lightly. "Th-they know I'm pureblood," she informed him. "And they wanted to force a marriage to Draco."

"What?"

"That's good, actually."

"How?"

"Well, they wanted to keep me... pure. For my marriage to Draco. So they didn't touch me, just left me in the cellar. I am led to understand that others were not so lucky."

His stomach twisted. "That is messed up." The idea of her being attacked made him sick.

"Yes. Well, I think they were waiting until they caught you anyway, but you got there first."

"It was a complete accident," he admitted. "I only found you because I got caught by Snatchers."

"Don't worry about how you did it," she told him.

They stayed up to see the sun rising before they walked back up to the cottage where Bill was gritty eyed and tired.

"Did you wait up?" Harry asked.

"Of course I did," Bill said irritably.

"Sorry." He did his best to mean it, but his night with Luna had restored him somewhat. Besides his tiredness he was experiencing a fresh wave of determination — but he still made breakfast for everyone to apologize.

He made his plan for Gringott's, and he puzzled around how to make it work. He conferred with Hermione and Ron and Griphook, with input from Luna. And when it was time to go he held her tightly. They'd said their goodbyes earlier, unable to waste time when Hermione had taken the Polyjuice potion, but he still had to be told to go by his friends.

"I'll come for you when I can," he promised, and Hermione apparated them all to Gringott's.

He didn't have time to think about Luna much after that, not until he reached Hogwarts and saw her enter the Room of Requirement, where they'd shared their first kiss. His heart clutched when he saw her climb through the portrait. "What are you doing here?" He asked once he reached her through the crowd of people.

"Dean was coming when the DA tokens went off," she said simply, "And I couldn't resist. Are we fighting?"

"We're finding first. I need that artifact, something of Rowena Ravenclaw's."

"Well, there's her lost diadem."

And they were off. Together they decided they'd go to Ravenclaw's tower to find what it looked like, because it could only be the diadem. He knew he was in more danger than ever, and so was she, but he couldn't help but feel glad to finally be with her again, to be fighting alongside her. He covered them with his cloak and was hyper aware of her guiding him through to Ravenclaw's tower.

He was filled first with horror at being caught out by the Carrow woman, and then with pride when Luna took her down easily with a stunner. He hid under the cloak with her again while McGonagall and the other Carrow argued until he spat at his teacher, his mentor, his champion. He felt himself fill with rage and resentment, with the absolute certainty that he could perform the Cruciatus, and he did it. Amycus Carrow could not have picked a worse target for his ire than Harry's head of house, a woman who was strict and severe but also dry witted, large hearted, and one person that had always believed unwaveringly in Harry Potter.

He didn't get to be with Luna after that. They prepared for war and she had to join the others — he had to find the diadem, and figure out where Ron and Hermione had gone off to.

He had a war to fight.

He had to find Voldemort and kill the snake.

He had to delve into Snape's memories.

He had to die.

He listened to his girlfriend, his sweet and soulful Luna, his first and only love, scream at the sight of him as he feigned death.

"Harry!" It was a long and drawn out word, a wrench of the soul. The Death Eaters laughed at her, and Harry vowed to make them pay for it.

When Neville cut the snakes head off and the madness ensued Harry took as many Death Eaters as possible down from beneath his cloak, shooting spells surreptitiously while no one knew where he was. He rushed over to Luna when Bellatrix barely missed her with a killing curse, only to be knocked back by Molly Weasley, who took care of the situation.

He faced Voldemort and explained why he would not win. He duelled the wizard that had tried to kill him as a baby and throughout school. He claimed the Elder wand and defeated him.

He struggled his way out of the crowd of celebrating people and found Luna, silent tears streaming down her face. "You're alive. You're alive," she said, or he thought she said. It was hard to tell with all the noise, and he led her away. Outside, to the forest, the path he'd walked to his death on. He told her everything he'd seen that night after he left her, everything he'd done.

"Where's the Resurrection Stone now?" Luna asked, engrossed. Leave it to her to simply accept the fantastic.

"Right... here," he said, bending down and picking it up. He handed it to her. "I saw my mum tonight. I thought you might like to see yours."

"Oh," she breathed, turning the stone three times. And when she opened her eyes she smiled brilliantly. "Hullo Mum."

Pandora Lovegood stood shorter than his own mother had, just a bit taller than Luna herself. Luna was a spitting image of her, which he knew from seeing the photograph on her desk at the Rookery, but seeing them together made him feel like he was seeing double. Luna and her spectre.

He left her with the stone for a while, choosing to give her time alone with her mother. He stayed nearby, keeping watch over her to make sure she wasn't interrupted, but no one came. She signalled him to join them again and he obeyed.

"I wanted to say thank you," Pandora said, serene and peaceful. "For all you've done, and for bringing us together again:"

"It can't be all the time I'm afraid," Harry said, feeling guilty. But he remembered the nights spent in front of the Mirror of Erised, and the story of the three brothers.

"I should think not," the figure agreed. "You know what the Stone is capable of, and you know that you must leave it here."

"You're right," Harry agreed, a little regretfully. "Did Luna tell you a bit about me then?"

"A lot about you," Pandora said with a smile, and Harry blushed.

"Er. I only ask because I love her. And now that I'm not on the run anymore... well, I'd sure like to know if her mum approved of me."

"Very much," Pandora smiled.

They said goodbye to her then, Harry dropping the stone in a hollow tree. They could find it this way, one day, if needed. Harry held Luna's hand all the way back to the castle while he asked about her story and what she'd seen while they'd been separated.

They made a plan to go back to The Rookery first, to check on her father, and then they'd go to a Grimmauld Place to find out if the Death Eater Hermione accidentally gave the secret to left anything standing. They'd decide what to do after that once they knew were they stood, but first they needed to find Hermione and get their things from her. They couldn't apparate from school grounds, but Professor McGonagall took them to her office to Floo out.

They went to the Burrow, the closest Floo point Harry knew to Luna's, and dropped their things there. They apparated to the Rookery where they found the house in shambles, broken down brick by brick. Harry made Luna wait while he searched the place, and he was glad he did since he found Xenophilius Lovegood's body in the ruins. With the Weasley's in hiding he'd had no one to find him sooner.

He wasn't sure what to do about the body, so he went back and told Luna what he'd found. Something in her voice told him she had already strongly suspected this was the case, but he still held her while she sobbed. Both parents gone. Home destroyed. War did not play favourites.

"I love you," he whispered to her that night. They were at Grimmauld Place, which had been ransacked for any sign of him but put back together again by Kreacher. He held her tightly, hoping he could bring her any comfort. "I'll take care of you, Luna. Don't worry, darling. I'm here."

They buried her father with all the others. Luna conferred with Kreacher and redecorated Grimmauld Place, turning Sirius' prison into Harry and Luna's home. There was no formal asking and accepting with their living arrangements. They simply lived together. After the first night in Grimmauld together they never even thought about finding Luna a place of her own.

Harry went to join the Aurors right away, while Luna went back to Hogwarts in September. She had to redo the sixth year since she had only been there for for four miserable months under the Carrows and Snape, but she came back to Grimmauld at Christmas and Easter, and Harry used some of the gold Sirius had left him to buy a cottage at Hogsmeade so he'd be there on the weekends. Headmistress McGonagall had given all students seventeen and older who were repeating their years permission to leave the castle at their leasure on the weekends, and it was closer than London.

It was in that cottage, in front of a blazing fire in the February of Luna's seventh year, that Harry asked her to marry him. There was no embarrassing public proposal, just a man and a question and a ring.

"Why now?" Luna asked, naked in his arms. They hadn't made it to the bed after she'd said yes. She was laying on her back on his chest, lifting her left hand above her to examine her ring from a distance. He admitted that Hermione had picked it out, having infinitely better taste than he — a vintage ring with ornate and delicate filigree designs on the band and a large solitaire diamond.

"I finished my Auror training."

"You're done?" Luna asked, lifting her head from his chest to look at him. "Seriously?"

"Surprise. I was given the option to take my final training test early so I did. As of yesterday I'm trained. I start Monday as a full Auror. A rookie, but still."

"Oh Harry, that's wonderful." She knew he was excelling, how could he not, but she didn't know he'd finish early. "And timely."

"Why timely? You don't graduate until June."

She grinned at him. "I know. But Aurors who aren't training have much better schedules than ones that are, and in about seven months you're really going to appreciate that."

"Seven mo —" He froze. "Luna, are you pregnant?"

She nodded, beaming. "I think it was Christmas, because after then I couldn't drink pumpkin juice anymore. I thought I had just gone off it, but I went to Madame Pomfrey for a test yesterday. Probably right around when you were doing your test."

He touched her belly, which showed no sign of a baby yet. He looked back up to Luna's face and tried to reconcile everything he felt. Nervous, certainly. Scared, definitely. But under everything... "I'm going to be a dad." He was overwhelmingly happy. "Luna, you've made me a dad!"

He kissed her hard, and they laughed together and planned, and spent that weekend deciding where they would live full time (Hogsmeade), and what they would name their baby (Pandora Lily for a girl, James Arthur for a boy), and when they would marry (immediately). And Harry, by the fire with Luna gathered up close to him, could not imagine being any happier.


End file.
